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From a very young age, Daniel Libeskind (pronounced LEE-buhskinned) exhibited a sharp intellect and extraordinary talents. As a child in Poland, he discovered that he had considerable musical talents; he appeared on live Polish television at the age of six, playing the accordion.

Lindsay Lohan was introduced to filmgoers in 1998 when she faced the difficult task of filling the shoes of beloved child actress Hayley Mills in a remake of The Parent Trap. Lohan offered herself up for comparison again five years later when she starred in Freaky Friday, another classic teen film from a generation ago.

In 2004 Wangari Maathai became an internationally recognized figure by becoming the first black woman and the first environ-mentalist to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Her honor, however, did not come without controversy.

Peyton Manning, starting quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts, may be on his way to becoming America's favorite male sports star. For years that honor was held by basketball legend Michael Jordan (1963–).

According to the press, and summed up by Walter Tunis of the Lexington Herald-Leader, Maroon 5 was "one of the hottest new pop rock bands in the land." In February 2005 the music industry added its approval to the statement by presenting Maroon 5 with a Grammy Award for Best New Artist. Ironically, although considered new on the music scene, the band actually had been performing together for ten years.

While some may think that being the daughter of one of the world's most famous, respected, and wealthy rock stars would lead to plentiful advantages when building a career, British designer Stella McCartney might not completely agree. McCartney, daughter of Sir Paul—who happens to be a former member of the Beatles, perhaps the most popular and influential rock band ever—has talent and ambition to spare, but her fame-by-association has caused many to speculate that it is her family connections rather than her design collections that have propelled her career.

Jenny Ming is president of Old Navy, the enormously successful chain of clothing stores owned by Gap, Inc. A retail executive her entire career, Ming has won praise for her skilled management of the 850-store Old Navy division and the seemingly effortless way new fashion trends appear on its racks.

Dave Mirra has won more medals in the X Games (a yearly competition held for extreme sports athletes) than any other athlete. What began as a way to pass time became the BMX biker's road to fame and wealth when Mirra turned pro at seventeen.

Isaac Mizrahi holds the distinction of being one of today's best-known American fashion designers. His fame comes from far more than his runway creations, however: Mizrahi is a bona fide celebrity who has applied his abundant energy to a number of diverse projects.

Regardless of whether they agree with his views or not, most people have a strong opinion about Michael Moore. The provocative and controversial social activist has aroused the passionate support of millions, and the equally passionate anger of millions more, with his documentary films, best-selling books, and investigative television shows.

Frankie Muniz initially became famous in 2000 as Malcolm, the boy genius in the Fox comedy Malcolm in the Middle. Prior to that role, he had performed in plays, television commercials, and even a few movies.

The works of Japanese artist Takashi Murakami have inspired both admiration and confusion. Inspired primarily by anime, Japanese animation, and manga, Japanese comics, Murakami's paintings and sculptures feature bright, candy-colored images of cartoon-like characters, with large eyes and exaggerated body parts.

Chad Michael Murray moved easily from television into feature films thanks to his roles in highly rated teen dramas on the WB network such as Dawson's Creek and One Tree Hill. By the time he began appearing in box office successes opposite Lindsay Lohan (1986–) and Hilary Duff (1987–), Murray had emerged as the new teen heartthrob for his boyish good looks and appealing screen portrayals of the sensitive loner-type.

Elon Musk was a multi-millionaire by the time he reached the age of thirty-one thanks to his creation of the company that became PayPal, the popular money-transfer service for Web consumers. Musk has become one of a new breed of what the New York Times called "thrillionaires," or a class of former high-tech entrepreneurs who are using their newfound wealth to help turn science-fiction dreams into reality.

Donna Jo Napoli moonlights from her job as a professor of linguistics at a Pennsylvania college to write books for children and young adults. Her stories range from magical retellings of ancient or medieval folktales, like Zel and The Magic Circle, to realistic, emotionally wrenching tales of kids confronting divorce and death in their family, such as The Bravest Thing.

Just before Valentine's Day weekend in 2004, recently elected San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom ordered the county clerk to begin issuing marriage licenses for same-sex couples who applied at San Francisco City Hall. Newsom's daring move allowed more than four thousand couples to get married that weekend in his city.

British author Jenny Nimmo writes about spell-casting cats and youngsters who inherit magical powers. The author of more than four dozen books for children and young-adult readers, Nimmo did not begin writing in earnest until she became a mother, though she had always written far-fetched, sometimes gory tales when she was in her teens.

Emeka Okafor ended his first season with the Charlotte Bobcats, the North Carolina team of the National Basketball Association (NBA), as winner of the league's 2004–05 Rookie of the Year award. A standout athlete during his college career as a center for the University of Connecticut (UConn) Huskies, Okafor was the NBA's second draft pick in 2004.

Twins Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have been in front of the cameras since before they could walk or talk. With a career that began on television in 1987, the Olsens went on to star in their own series of video movies, which sold millions of copies each and gave them a devoted fan base among American girls aged four to fourteen.

OutKast's exuberant, infectious single "Hey Ya!" helped push sales of their 2003 release Speakerboxxx/The Love Below past the three-million mark. This Atlanta, Georgia-raised duo, who use the professional tags "André 3000" and "Big Boi," are rap music's most unusual set of collaborators.